Sometimes, there’s no ring and no announcement. Celebrities trying to keep their private lives out of the news may get engaged without a hint of their future plans to wed. It can be a tough secret to keep with paparazzi on the lookout for rings and any other clues that a couple is planning on walking down the aisle. Yet, eventually the news does come out. After all, once you start sending out wedding invitations, it’s likely the secret is out of the bag – ring or no ring.

No Princess Bride

If you’re a gay couple, like Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, it can be easy to get engaged without sending up any red flags. Same sex marriage wasn’t legal in New York until 2011, so why bother getting engaged? Well, now that it’s legal, it’s also official. The pair has admitted they’ve been secretly engaged for the last five years. While it might be easy to spot an engagement ring on a princess bride, there’s no obvious clues for a gay male couple. Still no word on when the wedding will take place but it’s sure to be quite theatrical.

Fashion Statement or Engagement News?

Star of “Fashion Police,” Kelly Osbourne, was spotted wearing a diamond engagement ring which sent rumors flying. However, she declined to confirm the rumors of a secret engagement to boyfriend Matthew Mosshart even though some insiders say they’ve been engaged for over a month. It’s one of those situations where the girl can wear any fashion accessory she wants – even a diamond ring – and still doesn’t have to admit she’s engaged. When it comes to big wedding news some celebrities simply prefer to keep it low-key.

Marriage before Announcement

If you’re Kate Winslet, you might want to skip the engagement announcement all together. Fans learned that she got married to Ned RocknRoll in December of 2012 in a ceremony so secretive that even their parents didn’t know about it. The couple never told anyone they were even engaged; now that the wedding has passed, they admit they had been engaged since the summer of that year.